Imtiaz Ali Defends Diljit Dosanjh Amid Hania Aamir Casting Row; Calls Him ‘Son of the Soil’

Diljit Dosanjh has faced a lot of banter ever since his Punjabi film Sardaar Ji 3 starred Pakistani actor Hania Aamir. During the controversy, Imtiaz Ali, who had cast Diljit in the Netflix movie Amar Singh Chamkila, spoke to NDTV and came to the defense of the singer-actor.

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When I questioned how Sardaar Ji 3 was only released in foreign countries in the wake of the Pahalgam attack and how Diljits patriotism was questioned due to his love to the country, Imtiaz said, “I can't say much on the row, but since I know Diljit, I can say that uss mein deshbhakti ka jazbaa poora bhara hua hai (He is a patriot at heart). He is a son of the soil. You can see at all his concerts, he shows up with the Indian flag. He is not a guy who fakes things. Fakeness ke saath woh kuch nahi karta hai (He doesn't fake things). No one asked him to do it. At the end of all his concerts, he says, Main hoon Punjab, with the Indian flag.”

Imtiaz even came to the defence of Diljit where he said that casting someone was not the actor choosing. “I don't know how it went, but I know that uske andar desh prem bahut zyada hai (He loves his country too much). Jo log dekh paayenge unke andar ke sach ko, unko ye samajh mein aa jaayega (People who can see the truth, will understand him),” he added.

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The 3rd film of Sardaar Ji was released in the theatre on 27 July and not in India. On 22 June when the trailer of the movie was released which had Hania in it, Diljit was flak, as the government had directed a diktat to ban Pakistani artists and creators in India following the Pahalgam attack.

The Federation of Western India Cine Employees went as far as writing a letter to Imtiaz convincing him to reconsider the inclusion of Diljit in his next film. They also requested the government of India and Prime Minister Narendra Modi to blacklist the makers of Sardaar Ji 3 and Diljit in the film industry, they have asked to cancel their passports and Indian citizens.

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